Blue Jackets | How Zach Werenski, Seth Jones can get even better

Tuesday

Asked at his season-ending news conference whether the top defense pairing of Zach Werenski and Seth Jones had reached a new level, Jarmo Kekalainen chuckled — hardly insignificant considering the Jackets’ somber mood after its second-round playoff exit.

“They’re so young,” he said. “I mean, Zach’s what, 21? And Seth’s … 24? They seem like they’ve been here forever already and such veterans, and they’re just getting started.”

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Those sentiments are on target.

Werenski and Jones, in just three seasons together, have become franchise pillars. They are integral pieces to what Kekalainen and crew in the hockey operations department are trying to build — a Stanley Cup-winning roster.

The fact they’ve predominantly played together since 2016-17, Werenski’s rookie season, is a bonus most teams don’t have the luxury to do. There aren’t many top-pair combos in the NHL that have their combination of double-barreled offense and, now, shutdown defense, after a season in which Werenski went through frustrating growing pains to improve in his zone.

“There’s so much room for improvement there, still, and that’s the most exciting part,” Kekalainen said of the duo. “I can’t emphasize that enough, how much more potential there is, even though they are at such a high level already.”

It showed the most in the final games of the regular season and in the playoffs, when the Blue Jackets started out by shocking the league with a sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the No. 1 overall seed. Jones had two goals, two assists and four points in those four games, including the winner in a 4-3 comeback victory in Game 1; Werenski had a goal, four assists and five points.

They both averaged 25-plus minutes against the Lightning and then soaked up more ice time against the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Jones played 30:26 per game against the Bruins and Werenski 27:26, not missing a shift despite being struck by the puck on the unpadded palm of his left glove in Game 1, which initially affected his grip on the stick.

Both were on the ice for the Bruins’ tying goal late in regulation of that game and for Boston’s overtime winner, but more telling was the way they responded to help the Jackets win Game 2 in double overtime.

Jones set up Artemi Panarin for both Blue Jackets goals in regulation and logged a game-high 38:01 on 48 shifts — the second-highest of his NHL career. Werenski played a career-high 33:33 on 46 shifts, finishing with four hits and a plus-1 rating.

They were a key reason the Blue Jackets muted the Bruins’ top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak in the first three games of the series after smothering Tampa Bay’s top six in the first round.

Neither enjoys talking about his exploits, but each said this season helped with individual growth — particularly the last four weeks. Werenski fought through his rough stretch to become as solid defensively as he was offensively, and Jones overcame an early knee injury plus his own tough stretch to continue an ascent into the NHL’s upper stratosphere for defensemen.

“Individually, I thought I grew in the postseason,” said Jones, who had nine goals and 37 assists in the regular season. “With more postseason appearances, as a player, you grow in those situations. And I love playing under pressure and those big moments under the lights.”

Werenski does too, which made this season both frustrating and rewarding. He could see his next playing time soon after he was added Monday to the roster of the U.S. team at the world championships that run through May 26 in Slovakia.

“My ice time was a little up and down, but toward the end of the year, I think it was the most confident I’ve felt in this league since I came into (it),” said Werenski, who is a pending restricted free agent. “Me and Jonesy played some big minutes there in the playoffs, and for me personally, I just felt really confident at the end of the year.”

Kekalainen is confident too, knowing what he has in his top tandem.

“(There’s) no reason why they can’t both keep getting stronger, quicker, faster — more experienced knowing what these situations require to win a series like we had against Boston,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting to have a (defense) pair like that here leading your (defense) corps.”

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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